The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1887-12-29

went 70 ses Mrs. Oliver, whose aus
baud went to California.
And died there" interrupted Mr.:
Merrill.
"she knows that, poor soul" said
Uncle Charlie. 81 don't think uncle
mas hall as sorry for that death as he
pretended.)
"But she don't know" said MI.
Merrill, "that her husband left her
$4,000. He was my partner, and
we were very fortunate. / wish he
could have lived to return with me.
But he died full OF love for his wife
and child, and charged pe with many
messages to them. / closed his eyes;
and from that day set my face home.
ward"
"Why did You not writer" :
$50 / did, q dozen times. But
where is Charlie fed? Ihave not SO
much as shaken hands with him yet"
81 guess he's gone to see the witch,"'
cried little Geordie.
sOr the witch's mother" said Mrs.
Merrill. a
Uncle Charles soon returned, and
confessed the fact that he thought it
HE duty to break the intelligence to
the widow. And his duty has been
very much blended with hers ever
since. Her fortune she settled upon
Edith-her hand, at the proper time.
she gave to Uncle Charlie, and she new.
er has said, since that New Years
morning that she had not q friend IN
the world. .s 5e3',i@
H. THE AUTHORS CONFESSION. " !
I am putting the finishing words to
my narrative on this 31st day of De-
cember, a.. d. 1862. / am sitting in
my husbands "den."" as he persists
III calling the most inviting room m the
house, especially; inviting to me when
he is in it. l sometimes enter when he
is away; butconfess that thenthe dead
smell OF tobacco. smoke is not so
agreeable. I would, in his absence,
put his room in order, and have once
or twice attempted it, but have re.
,ceived anything but thanks for my Of
fcious service. Il Isl, .3t
/ I.am-or rather was-little Edith.
Another little Edith is just now gone
to bed, and the four corners OF her
crib are hung with stockings. The
grand New Years demonstration is,
however, in the back parlor, the sec.
ond edition of huge Christmas tree.
George mo longer little Geordle) will
spoil the child. and tell him so.
Georges father and mother, and my
father and mother flor Uncle Charlie
is father now, will dine with US to-
morrow. We dined with him on
Christmas day, as we always have
since we were married.
George sits nov on the other side Of
his big library light, a wasteful gas.
consumer. I can't make him content
with a blaze of proper size; and SO
am forced to turn down the parlor
gas and sit up here, for economy's
sake, when there is nobody in the
house but ourselves. How easy it is
to find excellent reasons for what You
wish to dol But, then, ! know if I
did not come and sit with him, he
would carry his awful pipe
"Get away, George! You hateful
man! Your whiskers and mustache
are worse than a Turks and your
meerschaum breath is intolerable!
Take that! and that!'l
lido not know whether I have hurt
him or not, for his pachydermatous
skin is tougher than a r%hinoceros.
My own fingers smart and ache so
that l can. scarce resume my pen.
But here! here! George Merrill, Esq,
counsellor and attorney at law, has
struck an attitude, and is going to
make a speech.
"What is the use of this?" holding
up his smoking-cap, ante-nuptial pres.
emit from me, "What is the use of this,
if under it, as q helmet. l am not to
smoke! And OF this?" thrusting out
the meerschaum, which / blush o say
! gave him in my maiden folly. "What
is the use of this, if / am not to smoke?
All honor to the German Fatherland,
which has released us from the costly
tyranny of the cigar, and gives us
comfort in the celestial clay, which
III sweethearts and wives present to
US!
"You women are the heralds OF
prudence. You have lectured me on
the extravaganza of little Edith's
presents. though you know in your
heart that.you enjoy them more than
she. What is the use of children"
Il trembled a little here. For when
Edith fought me this morning in the
bath.tub ] asked myself this question.
But ! never told George.
"Whatsi is the use," he continued,
ssof children2 Listen, Light of my
Eyes, purveyor of my pipes and
smoking caps, and thus, inferentially,.
of my Lynchburg, and / will tell you.
It is a blessingt hat children come
along in relays, to mark the post
houses in the journey Of life. But for.
the children there never would be any
anniversaries. After 80 the women
and after 40 the men would forget
that ever they were born, if our chill
dren did NOT keep our birthdays.
christmas would be nothing with
ont the children. And as to New
Years, that has but a bilious look,
and, without the children, would be
,intolerable. Everybody is forced up
on some committee Of ways and
means, and stationers advertise new
blank books, asst the old were not
blank enough, and all the banker for
their entries.
'Butfor the children we could be
glad to forget that there IL such a
thing IS a New Year, that there was
such q thing as an old. But they light,
en- us along the road OF life, and make
the holidays jubilant. Christmas and
New YoafIs ara dal0htful for thar